


Gilded

by i_require_validation



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Family tentions, Fluff, Guardian Angel, Lucifer Needs a Hug, Mama bear Mariel, Own Characters - Freeform, Post Reveal, honestly don’t we all, this is gonna be a long one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-06-06 02:53:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15185150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_require_validation/pseuds/i_require_validation
Summary: “Well, long story short Detective is that dear old Dad decided Mum was lacking as a mother to the Angels, so he sculpted an angel out of gold and brought her to life to protect us. Mariel- the fifth Arc Angel- the Guardian.” Lucifer said simply.Chloe gaped at him, but he ignored her baffled expression and went on.“So my dear older sister Mari protected us, holding out hands when we broke a wing, comforting us when we were sad, caring about our intrests-“ Lucifer trailed off, sounding wistful. He blinked, then the look was gone.“When the concept of humanity came along, and it was decided that all the angels purposes would be expanded to also covor you mortals, she was decided to walk the Earth and protect you fragile lot. It would make sense she is here.” Lucifer finished, nodding to himself, satisfied with his reasoning.Chloe shook her head. She was stuck on one key detail.“She was not made out of gold!” Chloe insisted. Lucifer scoffed.“That’s what you got out of that?!”





	1. Ladies and Gentlemen, the one, the only, Mariel!

The night would have been pleasant, the sky was clear, and the air slightly chilly but nice, however, the scene was destroyed by the sickening sent of Gasoline. Mariel stood at a tree by the side of the road, about ten feet away from the wreckage. The car had swerved off the road only moments before, plunging into the trees beside the country road. The front was crumpled inward and smoke was pluming from the under the crushed hood. 

Mariel sighed sadly to herself and walked to the back door. It was locked, so she had to rip it off the hinges. She threw it behind her aimlessly, more intent on the contents of the back seat. In the seat on the driver's side, the one by the door she just, ahem, opened, was a little girl. 

She was asleep, slumped against the back of the seat with her seatbelt strapped tightly across her chest. Blood was trickling from a nasty looking cut on her hairline. 

Mariel eased the seatbelt off her, then gingerly picked her up. She carried the child to the side of the road and lay her in the soft dirt. Mariel stroked the little one’s hair from her face. She took a black down feather from a pouch she kept on her hip and pressed it to the child’s forehead. The feather glowed, then dissipated. The cut on the child’s forehead closed, and the broken bones she had from the crash also healed. The child sighed and seemed to relax, now cured of all injuries. 

Suddenly, a shrieking cry filled the air, followed by sobs. 

She returned to the other side of the car, and again, she ripped the door away. Then she tinkered around the car seat until it yielded the crying infant it held. She cradled the little one in her arms and swayed, humming to calm the small thing. 

She carried the baby toward his sister, still asleep by the roadside, singing softly all the way. The little one stopped it’s sobbing and stared up at her with large blue eyes. He giggled and grabbed at her hair, successfully grasping a fistful of the golden, curly locks. He yanked and shrieked again, this time with joy. She smiled down at him, the small humans always amusing her. 

She stopped by his sisters' side. She should put him down, but something deep within her chest prevented her from doing so just yet. She swayed more, and the humming transformed into soft singing. The words were not English, though, even though that was the language of this land. No, instead she sang an Enochian lullaby, one she often sang to her younger siblings when they were still fledglings to lull them to sleep. 

The child’s smile slowly faded, and his eyes blinked slower and slower, until they drifted closed, and his hand loosened to free her hair. 

She gently placed the baby bedside his sister. Then, for the last time, returned to the car. 

The window of the driver-side door was completely shattered, so Mariel needed not to rip off the door as she had with the other two. Slumped forward against the steering wheel was an unconscious woman. 

Mariel knew that her injuries were too great for her to survive. She could heal her with another one of Michael’s feathers, and part of her yearned to do that, and let the woman’s children grow up with a mother, but her soul was ready to leave this plain. Mariel could tell, she could see the brightness of her soul and how it needed not to stay. 

But she still had some work to do here. 

“Wake,” Mariel spoke to the woman. Immediately, her eyes opened, and she groaned in pain. She tried to push herself up off the steering wheel, but only one arm would move. She let out a choked sob and slumped back down. 

“Hey-“ Mariel soothed. “It’s alright.” 

“M-“ the woman muttered “M-My children...” she sobbed, again attempting to move. 

“They are safe.” The woman was crying now, still unable to move. Mariel didn’t know what damage had been done, but it was clear that it was extensive. “They are safe” Mariel reached through the window and stroked a hand through the woman’s hair, channeling her divinity to ease her pain. “You can sleep now. Your children are safe.” 

Finally, the woman stopped struggling. For the first time, she looked at Mariel, her eyes blown wide. She stared at her for a few seconds. Then, seemingly understanding, she relaxed more and closed her eyes. 

“Thank-“ but she never finished the sentence. Her soul was gone. 

It left a hollow feeling within Mariel, letting a human pass on. But she knew it was necessary. Otherwise, well, there would be all sorts of problems wouldn’t there? Besides, Azrael would be out of a job. 

Speaking of Rae-Rae, Mariel wondered if she would still be here. Probably not, she chided herself, as Rae was so busy in recent times and would not spend too long collecting only one soul. 

The woman would now be in heaven, her soul free of the guilt of killing her children- a fate Mariel had diverted- so she would not be bound to hell for an eternity with Satan. 

Mariel made her way back to the children at the side of the road. She placed a kiss on each of their foreheads, which should protect them from any beasts in the surrounding woods for the next few hours, at least until they were discovered. 

She didn’t suspect it would take much longer as any second now there was bound to be- 

A loud explosion from behind her ripped her from her thoughts as the car blew up. The children were far from the blast, yet Mariel still felt hot metal fly into her back as she protectively crouched by them. Smoke and flames billowed into the night sky, signaling that Mariel should disappear soon. 

Surely the fire was seen by someone, and Mariel didn’t doubt that soon more mortals would come to investigate. 

She spared one last glance at the two small humans, snuggling peacefully with one another for warmth in the cool night, so naive to how their world has been turned upside down. 

She closed her eyes, silently begging her father to ensure that they would live good lives, and grow past this tragedy. She got no answer, which was to be expected. 

Sirens approached from the direction of the city, and Mariel disappeared into the darkness of the woods. 

—- 

She arrived at Minneapolis by daybreak, and she was exhausted, having run most of the way there. She would have thought that after millennia on earth she would get used to the way her powers were drained on this plain, causing her to require sleep and food, and being incapable of the things she could do so easily in heaven. 

Her back also ached, she supposed that was another thing she would never get used to. 

Mariel shifted uncomfortably as her focus moved toward her wings, the pain increasing until spots danced in her eyes. She stumbled, the constant pain and exhaustion finally catching up to her. 

She always refused to sleep until she was at the point of passing out. She never ate regularly or had a sound sleeping schedule, always preoccupied with what other, more important tasks, could be done with that time. There were always more mortals to save, she didn’t have time for a break. 

Mariel hated it, but she surrendered to her exhaustion. She dragged herself into the closest hotel, got herself a room, and passed out on the bed, unaware of the being watching her through the window.


	2. Falling Stones

Mariel was tired still. She wanted to sleep more. She indulged herself, rolling over to snuggle into the warm, soft sheets and pillows for a moment longer.

She stayed in the bed longer than she should have, then finally she couldn’t indulge herself any longer. She sat up, stretching out her arms and yawning.

She didn’t stretch her wings. She had to use all her will-power on not moving them at all. Despite her best efforts, as she paid more attention to them the pain increased to almost unbearable levels.

She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed slowly, just as Raph had shown her.

In.

Out.

The pain faded to almost bearable levels.

Mariel swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was slightly dazed from the pain and her lack of sleep. Spots danced in her eyes when she tried to stand.

“Oh-“ She plopped back down. Why was she was so pathetic? Mariel buried her face in her hands and counted to ten, then she stood up, ignoring the head rush, and went to the bathroom to shower.

After a quick rinse to wash away the dirt and smell of gasoline from the previous days, she changed back into her clothing. Mariel regarded the outfit with disdain in the mirror. It was starting to get too ratty, the bottoms of the pants were muddy and tearing. Her shirt had seen better days too.

She could spare some time to get herself some new clothes, as she didn’t want to draw attention to herself, which would definitely be the case if she wandered the city with these rags hanging off her.

The nearest clothing store was a block away. Mariel spent little time there, quickly picking out a pair of jeans and a turtleneck, paying with her “Credit Card” that had human currency on it, and changing into her new clothes. She threw the other ones into a dumpster, they were useless now.

Mariel felt guilty spending so much time on herself, what had it been, half an hour? That, including the several hours of sleep, made her chest twinge in guilt. How many mortals had perished, or had been hurt in that time?

She shouldn’t think about it. Focus on other things. Not the wings, though.

She stopped walking at a street corner and leaned against the nearest building. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the prayers.

All prayers, or thoughts, or silent pleas’ for protection or guardianship reached her ears.

No one prayed to her by name, but Humanity had capitalized on the idea of Guardian Angels, so she still had plenty of voices filling the back of her head. It was headache-inducing at first, but as the years passed- and hundreds of thousands had - it became easier to process.

The hardest part was ignoring some. She shouldn’t have to refuse those too far from her the protection they needed, but since she had to rely on human transportation, or running...

She tried to focus on those nearby who were requesting her help. She planned on staying in this city for at least another couple of days, therefore she could not help those far from Minneapolis until she was sure her work here was done.

She still felt the pull in her chest, telling her that there was something important to be done here, and until she felt it shift or dissipate, she must stay here.

One plea caught her eye- or, ear in this case.

“God?”

‘No, sorry. Can I take a message?‘ She thought to herself. The mortal praying would not hear her, but it made her crack a smile.

“God are you there? I need help, please-“ The man sounded panicked, which is what caught Mariel’s attention.

“-please, God, please save me. If you do, I’ll never doubt you again-“

‘Well, I doubt that.’ Mariel pretends responded as she made her way towards where the prayer originated from.

She opened her eyes and was about to run in the direction of where the prayer originated when police cars whizzed past her, sirens wailing.

Oh. Seems that the mortals had this one covered. Mariel never knew how to think of that. For one, it was nice to not be the only being saving humans, on the other- well. Humans weren’t always the most efficient at protecting their fellow mortals. Mariel was considering running after the cars, to provide some secret divine intervention when something hit her shoulder.

Immediately she was on high alert. Her eyes snapped open, searching for the offender. People were walking every which way, none sparing her more than a glance or the occasional appreciative once-over.

She pulled herself from the wall, standing somewhat casually, but keeping her stance wide in case of a fight. She looked at her shoulder where she felt the thing hit. There was no residue from anything as far as she could tell.

Just as she was willing to let it go like nothing, and that she was just on edge from centuries of bad sleeping habits, she felt another thump on the top of her head.   
A pebble tumbled down in front of her eyes and landed at her feet.

She looked straight up and noticed a figure leaning over the edge of the roof of the building behind her. It waved. She waved back.

In the alleyway behind the building, she found a fire escape. It didn’t connect to the ground, stopping at about one story up, but it was easy enough to jump up and get a hold of it and pull herself up.

She climbed to the roof, wondering who exactly would be waiting for her. When she got to the roof, she found him pacing by the air-conditioner, hands clasped behind his back and staring at the ground.

“Ezequiel!” Mariel exclaimed. She ran towards her younger brother and pulled him into a hug. He swore under his breath at her sudden attack. “Hey!” She scolded.

She pulled away from the hug but held him at arms-length by his shoulders. She studied him. Something was off. he was wearing basic black robes, which he was fidgeting with. She raised her eyebrows and looked at him quizzically.

“What’s wrong, Ez?” She asked. He didn’t look her in the eye, instead staring down at his hands.

The fact that he was on Earth worried her. Angels didn’t normally come down here - other than her and Rae, naturally - unless something was really important. She waited patiently to see if he would explain his presence unprompted, but when more than a minute passed of him staying silent and fidgeting, she decided to interrogate him more.

“Ezequiel,” Mariel said, more sternly this time. He finally raised his gaze to meet hers. “I know you didn’t fly all the way here just to throw some rocks at me.” She dropped her hands to her side, then folded them across her chest.

Finally, he relented. He ran a hand through his loose chocolate curls and gave a bashful smile.

“I lost a book.” He said slowly, then winced. “I mean- I didn’t lose it, but -“ he started but Mariel cut him off with a raised hand.

“You lost a book? On Earth.” She clarified, dumbfounded. So much for him being the ‘Keeper of Knowledge.’

He cleared his throat and nodded.

She gaped at him a little longer. She closed her eyes for a second and regained her composure.

“How?”

“Well...” He stalled. “Is that really the important part?” He said, blushing a bit in embarrassment.

“How.” She stared him down. It only took a few seconds before he gave in.

“I, um, ” he coughed “may have lent it to a human then other humans found out and stole it and took the human I gave the book too and now I can’t find them or the book.” He said quickly, without even pausing for a breath. Mariel blinked at him, processing what he just said.

She didn’t even know where to start.

“Ok.” She said, not knowing what else to say. He was looking at her with wide, honey-colored eyes and slightly raised eyebrows, unsure of what she was thinking. “A divine book, containing information that should really be kept from humans, is now lost on Earth.” She said slowly. He gave a small nod.

She thought for another second before something else occurred to her.

“And you are telling me this why, exactly?” She asked. His eyes widened.

“I - isn’t it obvious? I need your help!” He insisted. She raised an eyebrow. “Please Mari? I’ve been following you since last night because you’re the only one who can really help me-“ she cut him off again.

“Slow down! You’ve been following me since last night? Why didn’t you contact me then?”

Ez looked at her, then the ground again.

“Well, you looked really tired and I didn’t want to bother you because I figured you needed sleep.” He admitted. She gave him a small smile, a feeling a twinge of guilt in her stomach. He didn’t come to her in time of crisis because she was too tired?

“Ez, it’s always alright for you to bother me. It’s my job!” She insisted. He gave a sad sort of smile.

“I know...”

Before she could wonder about his answer, he continued explaining his conundrum.

“I really need your help, Mari, you’re the expert on saving kidnapped mortals!” She opened her mouth to ask him why he came to her when she was sure any of her other siblings were free to help, and likely more qualified. He cut her off before she even voiced her question though. “Look, I know that I could ask anyone else...” She nodded “but...” he blushed and looked down, “this is humiliating.” He finished quietly.

She pitied him. She knew that her siblings- though loving and always willing to help- could be cruel. If Ezequiel came to them with his problem, they would ridicule him for the rest of eternity because of his failure.

“Alright- I’ll help.” She finally said. Ezequiel’s face broke into a smile.

“Really!” He said, seemingly amazed at her willingness to help him. He leaped forward and pulled her into a bearhug so strong she felt herself creak. She laughed at his sudden outburst.

“Yes, Ez, I’ll always help you out in your time of need.” He stepped back, grinning at her. “Now, tell me everything about this lost book.

His smile faded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ya have it folks! Chapter two!!!  
> For all yall wondering- the segment from the fic summary should be in chapter 5 or 6. I want to update reguarly, and I want the chaoters to also get longer.  
> See you soon, beautiful readers!


	3. Rock Collections

Her blood boiled.

Her festering anger was not the result of their failure of an investigation, however, no, rather she focused on the one clue they had procured…

Ezequiel fluffed is wings in an agitated way beside her, fidgeting with his robes.

“I may have been incorre-” She cut him off with a trembling hand. 

He had whisked them away after a concerned neighbor called the police after Ez turned a bookshelf to wood chips -by accident- with one of his brilliant red wings. 

Mari had been trying to not laugh at Ezequiel knelt down to try and remedy his folly, swiping the leg out from under a desk with the other wing and sending papers cascading to the floor. She had just been thinking that he had gotten too used to the expansive Library in the Silver City when her eyes settled on them. 

The Rocks. 

Clumps of calcified earth lining the windowsill. Her insides dropped, the world around her blurring as she felt a telltale burning sensation flare up alongside uncontrolled rage. When she had asked Ezequiel in a deadly calm voice if his human made habit of collecting the damned things, he had said no. The only collections the man had been of books. 

 

He had only confirmed her suspicions then. Of course, that rock collector had sniffed out the shred of divinity held here and hunted it down hungrily to devour it. 

 

“Mari?” Ezequiel whispered, but she was paying him no mind at all.

\---------

“What’s the matter, Mari?” Cain leered, pressing a dagger closer to the young woman's neck. Blood slowly seeped from where the blade contacted with her skin. There was an expanding stain of red in the white collar of her dress. The woman was staring, dazed, at Mari. The guardian angel who was frozen to her spot. Cain let out a curt laugh and smiled at her. “Afraid of fire?”

 

Smoke was filling Mariel’s lungs. The logistics of the fire should not bother her, she was immortal by all definitions of the word. She could frolic through flames all day without the flames marring her. Yet…

 

Cain had surrounded himself with kindling, and set it aflame. Now there was a waist-high roaring fire between her, and him. She came to her senses and leaped at him. He roared and threw the woman to one side to the flame, jumping to the other side. Mariel, despite her growing desire to crucify Cain at the top of a mountain till he froze solid, moved to save the woman. 

 

There was an anguished yell from behind her as Cain caught fire, orange flames licking up his form until he was a staggering pillar of light in the wilderness. A deep rebellious part of her, one which had learned over the centuries to loathe this particular human, felt a sick satisfaction that he fell into his own trap. He collapsed to the dirt, momentarily becoming a burning corpse. 

 

That bought some time, at least. 

The woman was nearly unconscious now. Her dress was in tatters, more hair escaped from the tight braid on her head than in the braid, and blood still trickled from the shallow cut on her neck. Mariel picked her up, cradling the woman as if she was a child, and whistled for her horse. 

The mud-colored beast ambled from the woods at her call, grass hanging from his mouth as he chewed lazily. She glared at it impatiently as he lazily made his way to where she stood. 

Once she had mounted her steed with the saved mortal, they left for the village leaving Cain burning where he lay. 

He caught up to her in the next town she visits.

 

She walked into a tavern, intending on helping a beggar who inhabited a cold corner of the place when she saw him at a table. She was once again filled with a familiar hate for him. He grinned wickedly at her, motioning for her to sit. 

“Good evening, my Guardian Angel.” He purred, throwing up a hand to call for another pitcher of beer for her. She said nothing, expressed nothing, simply sitting. 

 

“I cannot lift your curse.” She said simply. His eyes darkened. 

“You are an Archangel.” He snarled, all guise of manners gone, “Are you not?”

“I am. “ She said. This is one argument which had plagued their interactions since the beginning of her deployment here. Even before, when there was some semblance of friendship between them…

She swept away those memories though, sent to accompany all the other repressed recollections of the past too difficult to consider. She was sure now that he had only befriended her with the intention for her to break his curse. A power which she had never possessed. 

“If you are an all-powerful Archangel, you should be able to kill me.” Cain snarled, an animal look in his eyes. “I will continue to slay all the mortals you try to protect until you end my suffering.” He said, taunting her. 

He had not yet been able to kill one of those she had been protecting, though there had been a few close calls. She had run through more feathers than usual and was less productive as of late, all in Cain’s ploy to get her to kill him. 

She laughed without humor. 

 

“If I had the power to kill you, murderer, then you can trust I would.” She stood from the table. “And I would drag you to hell myself, even if I must face the Devil to do so.”  
\-----

Naturally, Cain would be the issue now. The man likely thought he could use whatever knowledge was in the book to break the curse. Part of her wished he could break the curse, so she could finally be rid of him… 

 

“We need to find Cain. He has your book.” She stated to Ezequiel, who was looking quite frazzled. His eyes were filled with worry and his feathers were so fluffed up his wings seemed to have doubled in width. 

 

The didn’t have time for him to worry over her, though, the hunt for Cain must begin.


	4. A Book of Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezequiel hangs out in a library and Mariel gets to beat up Cain.

“You really must tell me, Ez.” Mariel insisted. Ezequiel shook his head. 

“I swear, Mari, it is not of any importance!” He sputtered, swiping hair from his eyes. He looked distressed, his eyebrows pulling together and his wings shuffling against his back. He always fidgeted when he was nervous. She sighed.

“Can Cain use it to break his curse?” She asked. Ezequiel pondered for a second, then shook his head again. 

“It’s not that kind of book…” He muttered, looking at her sheepishly. Mariel couldn’t fathom why he was being so stubborn. Why wouldn’t he divulge the name of the book to her?

Was it because she had been absent from Heaven so long? Roaming earth, and neglecting her family? Had he lost trust in her? 

“Ez,” she said softly, “You can trust me, I won't be angry. I’m sorry that I have not been home in so long - “ She began apologizing. Ez stopped her.

“No! Mari, it’s not that. Just trust me when I say there is no need for you to know!” He began shifting again.

He was hiding something, something greater than the book. She weighed her options on whether to persecute him from withholding from her or letting him keep the secret. 

She decided to let him be, part of her knowing she had no right to chastise him when she was also lying to him, as well as herself. 

She had not returned home for centuries, not because of her duties here on earth, but because she was a failure. A disgrace in more ways than one. Going home would mean facing that. 

Ezequiel could tell that she had relented, and he visibly relaxed. His wings disappeared, and he perked up. 

“Where shall we start then?” He asked. She thought a moment. 

“Tell me all you can about this human of yours.” 

\----

New York was filled with humans living their lives in extravagance, feasting on delicacies and dawning themselves with the softest, most beautiful clothes. Mariel paid no mind to them. 

She walked passed the glittering store windows, ignoring the hungry gazes of men who tipped their hats to her and bared teeth. Horses clopped along cobbles, dipping their heads from fatigue. 

As she traveled through the city, stopping only to purchase a couple loaves of bread from a quaint bakery. The buildings around her transformed from the towering glories to broken down slums. 

The Tenements. 

The stench was practically unbearable. The sound of crying children serenaded the air. The streets lined with starving humans huddled down in rags to fight the unrelenting cold. 

People muttered together in all different tongues, all of them tired and broken down. Mariel made herself focus on two children, scrunched up in a doorway together under soiled newspapers watching her with wide eyes. She slowly made her way over to the pair. 

They were trembling. The older one wrapped his arms around the other, as if to protect him, and mumbled something in Russian. 

“You can trust me.” She said in the same language, her words as smooth as honey as they washed over them. The reaction was immediate. The younger one broke into tears and crawled into her arms. As he cried into her shoulder, his brother told her about his parents. Peasants from the now ‘Soviet Union’ who tried to escape to America, only to find no work here and die. 

Mariel’s heart ached. She gave them each a loaf of bread. Taking the woolen shawl from her shoulders and wrapping it around the two. She got up to leave.

The little boy grabbed her dress with a bony hand. 

“Please, don’t leave us.” He whimpered. She gave him a sweet smile and focused on flooding him with a calming aura. 

“Be brave little one,” She said, taking his small hand in hers “I will protect you.”

A little way away from the edge of the vast tenements there was a tiny shop owned by a Russian couple. The two were staying afloat during the hard times, yet were still unhappy as they were unable to conceive. She watched them from across the street, pretending to be a beggar. 

A man stopped in front of her. She looked up at him between her lashes, faking a shiver for her disguise. The man grinned at her with yellowing teeth. 

“Such a shame for a pretty little thing like you to spend the night out here,” He shoved a grubby hand in his pocket and brought out a few coins, casually making them jingle. “Wouldn’t you like to spend the night in a warm bed?” 

A deep growl vibrated in her chest. How dare this scum dare to proposition her? Worse, he had likely forced the poor girls and women here to sleep with him for some meager pocket change! She bared her teeth and her eyes flashed solid gold. She began to rise, fully intending to make this man impotent. His grin fell to make way for a look of horror. The coins slipped from his slack fingers and he shuffled away from her as quickly as his chubby legs would carry. 

The pissed off archangel was about to follow the pathetic scum when she heard a laugh behind her. 

His laugh. 

She whipped around to face him. 

“I thought you were meant to protect humans, Mari.” Cain leered, leaning on a cane and tugging on his beard. She was now trembling for real. She was about to charge him and throw him under an automobile. 

She was about to until the burning became unbearable. She suppressed a gasp of pain, closing her eyes and waiting for the burning to subside slightly. 

When she opened her eyes once more, returning to the usual human look with honey-colored irises, Cain’s eyes were twinkling behind spectacles. 

“Did you burn yourself out, Mari?” He said, chuckling at his own joke.

“Why must you follow me around like a kicked puppy,” Mariel growled. “I cannot break your curse. No one can, no matter how long you track me.” His teeth clenched together. 

“I thought the last hundred years would cool you down, my Angel.” He purred, but she could tell the facade was breaking down. 

He had been wonderfully absent for the past century, that was true. She had thought it unusual but had hoped that he had merely given up the pointless mission. 

She said nothing to him. Simply returning to sitting and watching the young Russian couple. The woman was leaning on a table, one hand on her stomach as she sobbed. Her husband rubbed her back and stroked her hair from her face. 

Another miscarriage. 

Cain thumped down beside her. She ignored him still. 

“Mari,” Cain said in a softer tone. “Please, I - I can’t go one like this. I-” his voice cracked, and he pulled a hand through his beard. “I need you to help me. You’re the only one that can.” 

She finally looked over to him. He was staring at the shop, his eyes gleaming. Some part of her wanted to trust him, to believe he had changed. A deeper part of her that was created to help people, to protect. 

“I can never trust you. Never again.” She stood, He did not. 

She went to collect the two boys, needing to pick them up, as they were too emancipated to walk. 

She concentrated on shifting her glamour, cheeks sinking in, muscled limbs becoming boney, and skin turning sickly. She fake stumbled down the street, ‘accidentally’ collapsing against the door of the couple’s store. 

She heard a surprised yelp, some hissed arguing, footsteps approached, then she was ‘falling’ through the open doorway. Someone caught her. 

She looks up frantically to see the man holding her up by the shoulders.

“Please,” she rasped in Russian, then broke into a fit of coughs. “The children,” She choked out again. The woman rushed over and scooped the younger from her arms. Mariel, while pretending to collapse, watched the woman smile to herself as she caressed the boy’s face. The man managed to pull the other boy from her slack arms as she fell to the floor. 

After a while of faking being unconscious, she felt a rough hand against her forehead. She stopped breathing and called on her heart to turn to solid gold. 

“She- she is dead!” The man muttered.

“What will become of the children!” The woman cried out, then made a shushing sound when the young child in her arms stirred. 

“We must take her from here,” The man said, ignoring his wives question. “Bring the children to our bed, and make them some hot soup. There is still hope for them.” He said. Then she felt his arms work their way under her, lifting her up as if she was an infant. 

He stilled for a moment, and the silence stretched. 

“Go.” The woman finally said. The man moved quickly, bringing the supposed corpse from his shop. He walked at a quickened pace, then stopped. He gently laid her down on the cold street. 

He stayed beside her a while. She remained still, pretending to be a corpse as he 

She stayed in the city a while longer, protecting the unfortunate masses there. She no longer ran into Cain, but she thought not of his absence. 

The Russian couple cared for the children as their own. She would pass by the little shop to see the boys, who were gaining weight, wearing warm clothing, and had clean faces. The couple no longer cried over their barren household, now preoccupied with caring for and loving the two little ones brought to them by a dying woman.

\----

She had not seen Cain since that night. She traveled across continents, Across countries. She occasionally came back to America but did not run into him.

Now he reappears to steal a divine book. 

Ezequiel was just finishing ranting about this human Antony, who was by far the most interesting mortal, according to Ez. 

“How would Cain have discovered that you entrusted Antony with this book?” She asked, watching the traffic pass down on the street. 

“I,” he faltered, “I don’t know.” Another lie. She tried to catch meet his eyes. Was it worth it to waste precious time in trying to unravel this lie Ezequiel had constructed? She again decided against it. Mariel sighed.

“Then we must find Cain himself.” She decided, already dreading meeting him again, risking having him follow her again. 

“How would we manage that?” Ez asked though he looked hopeful. 

“Leave that to me. Let’s find a place for you to stay until then.” She said, already thinking of the perfect place to leave him while she trekked out on her own to look for the infamous Murderer. 

\---

“Have you found anything yet, Jon?” Cain grumbled to the man. He was becoming impatient. 

“Besides the pictures? No.” Jon said, bringing up a magnifying glass to squint at the intricate text lining the book. “This stuff is impossible to read,” Cain grumbled and shoved him aside. “It’s pretty,” Jon said appreciatively, outlining the script with a finger.

He bends down over the book, pulling the desk lamp directly over the page. The book was large, but not thick. It only held 17 pages but was practically three times larger than a standard piece of paper. 

Cain could speak any human language. The script on these pages was not from Earth. He should have assumed as much, a divine book would be written in a divine language. It was terribly inconvenient. 

All was not lost, though, he thought as he flipped through the pages. He settled on one just before the middle. 

The top of the page had one word written in a larger font. Then, written words were neatly compacted beneath the page. There was a gap in the middle of the page, where words gave way to an intricate drawing. 

A golden figure donned with a type of dazzling white armor he had never seen before. In one hand, she gripped a white bow with golden detailing, and arrow hanging from the other hand. Golden wings spread behind her, the armor intricately laid across the top of the limb. Golden curls, made of a lighter softer gold, cascaded from a white circlet that rested atop her head. 

“Sir?” Jon asked, breaking him from the spell. He cleared his throat and pointed to the title. “That probably says something like ‘Guardian’ or ‘Protector.’” He moved away from the table again. Surveying the cramped room. “You can keep translating while we move out.” He said, moving toward the short door, intending on procuring a driver that could get them as far away from this place as possible. 

“We’re leaving?” Jon asked, baffled. Cain nodded. 

“I have a feeling our little adventure won’t last long if we stay,” Cain said simply. Running a hand over his cropped hair, he grinned back at Jon. “You don’t want to lose that book too soon right? Before you could even-” Jon’s eyes widened. 

“No! No, I need to keep studying it!” Jon yelped, turning back to the book to ensure it was still there. He carefully stroked the pages. “I need to keep studying it.” He muttered under his book, once again entranced by the script. 

 

\---

 

The ride was bumpy. The only sound within the car was plump driver chomping on a piece of gum. When the piece seemingly went stale, he would roll down the window and spit it onto the dirt road, promptly pulling out the pack and shoving another piece into his mouth. 

When the driver notice Cain watching him as he pulled out the fourth piece of the ride, he chuckled and shrugged. 

“Nicotine gum.” The man said, flashing the package for Cain to see. “Keeps me going after I quit- those Cigs will kill ya, ya know.” He shoved the pack back in his pocket and continued to chomp away. 

“I’m aware,” Cain said dryly, having once smoked nearly three packs a day. All that resulted was a nasty - temporary - death, and an addiction to nicotine. 

Jon ignored them, still staring at the book with a puzzled look. 

“Did you find something?” Cain asked, excitement beginning to bubble in his gut. Jon looked up at him, eyes wide with panic. 

“There’s a page missing.” He said, beginning to shake and pet the binding where Cain now noticed a sliver of ripped paper was held. 

“There’s a” Jon gulped, frantically flipping through the pages, “There’s - page missing!”

Cain sighed. Perhaps he should have found a stronger willed human to deal with the divine. 

\-----

“Don’t speak to anyone.“ Mariel said, straightening the new clothing she had gotten him- to make him stand out less. ”No Drawing attention to yourself.” She patted down his messy hair, trying to make it appear less windswept. He nodded, trying to look more sincere and less excited. 

At first, he had fought the idea of her finding Cain alone, but she did have several good points as to why he should remain out of the search. For one, the fewer angels Cain knew about the better (it was a bit late for that but Mari didn’t know that). She also mentioned his lack of experience here on earth, and he may hurt himself. 

“I’m immortal Mari…” He had grumbled. She simply tutted at him and said she didn’t want to risk it. 

He could have brought up that the search would go quicker since he could fly. He decided against it. Besides, he was too tempted to stay behind. 

She was going to leave him in the best possible place on Earth. The most thrilling, adventurous, captivating place every fiber in his being wished to explore. 

A Human Library!

He could read all the human books that were not yet on the Silver Cities shelves. Endless hours expanding on all the humans understood- or thought they understood - or the plethora of human storybooks! 

Besides, it was a good idea to stay here - so he may catch any news about Antony as quickly as possible. Obviously. 

“If anything happens at all, pray to me.” She said, holding him at arm's length. “I will be here in an instant.” He nodded. 

She did not look well. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, which even her glamour couldn’t hide. She was swaying slightly, undoubtedly from lack of sleep, and she would uncomfortably shift her shoulders when she thought he wasn’t looking. 

She was overworking herself. She had been for billions of years now. The only time he could remember her not focusing 110% on others what when she was in the infirmary. 

He hoped with all his being that the plan he and Raguel had devised would work. 

\---

It took all of one hour for Mariel to find a clue about Cain’s whereabouts. 

She walked aimlessly through the city, the surrounding world dimming as she tried to focus on finding Cain. Prayers buzzed in the back of her head demanding to be attended to. Desperate voices pleading with an angel to appear and soothe their reality with divine intervention. 

A pang of familiar guilt pulled at the bottom of Mariel’s gut. She could never prevent every tragedy, or save every soul. She was never meant to, only a few prayers rung loudly in her mind, only a few select souls she was meant to save. Cherubs could tend to the others, or just leave the mortals to defend themselves. 

Cain never understood Mariel's purpose. Before Cain’s soul had darkened past redemption, and the two were friends of sorts, he demanded to know why she would not flit from danger to danger, healing and saving every human that asked her to. 

She had tried to explain that not everyone needed to be saved, he still did not understand. 

That was when she made the folly of telling him about her wings. She trusted him for hundreds of years as an ally, as a friend. But human lives were meant to be short, and the longer his extended the more foul he became. 

The humiliation of his betrayal, and of how idiotic she had been to trust him, still burned.

Perhaps that was why she despised the murderer with such intensity. Every fiber of her being sparked with hate for the man. Her fisted clenched together and she grits her teeth as she stormed through the sidewalks and tried to come up with a plan for finding Cain. 

Ezequiel could have helped, she admitted to herself when nearly an hour had passed and she had yet to yield any results in the search. Mariel sat on a nearby bench and buried her face in her hands. 

I am such a failure. 

Why could she not admit her own defeat? Part of her had wanted to keep her brother from harm’s way, yes, but she would be lying if she said that was the only reason for leaving him out of this. She was meant to be the guardian for Father’s sake! She had failed to protect her family all those eons ago, and now she was so pathetic that she couldn’t even fly. 

If she showed weakness to her family, they would naturally help and pity her, but she was meant to help them. She couldn’t fail them anymore. She wouldn’t. 

The wind began to pick up and whip her hair around, tangling the curls together as she sulked. Suddenly something hit her leg, wrapping and flapping around her calf while it crinkles. She dropped her hands to look at what litter had decided to interrupt her thoughts. It looked to be a newspaper. Mariel sighed and grabbed it. She stood up to look for a trash can for the trash when a picture on the page caught her eye. 

Pulling the paper fully open frantically and closely inspecting the image, Mariel found her clue. 

Local Detective Solves Cold Case

Mariel rushed to the police station, determined to follow this trail until it provided her with one divine book and a side of murderer. Taking a moment to compose herself, she strode into the station. It was mostly empty and filled with a dull silence interrupted only by the howling wind that followed Mariel as she entered. A secretary looked up from his book. She smiled sweetly at him and approached the desk. 

“Hello, Sir.” She spoke, adding a bit of a New York accent. He met her eyes and she smiled again. “I was hoping you could help me find this detective?” She asked, putting the paper down on the desk to face him, and pointing at the picture of Cain. 

The secretary looked at the picture for a second. “Sorry, miss, he’s out for today.” Mariel put on a pout. 

“Can’t you tell me where to find him?” 

“No, his personal information is clasif-” He met her eyes again and his expression went slack. 

“You can trust me, though, can’t you?” She drawled, putting power into the words. The man smiled dumbly and nodded, unable to tear his gaze away. 

____

 

Mariel left the precinct victoriously with her prize: knowledge. Ezequiel would be pleased. It took her less than ten minutes to jog back to the library she left him at. When she arrived, practically bursting through the too-slow automatic door, she was not surprised at the scene before her. 

Ezequiel was furiously flipping through the pages of a book, several other discarded novels strewn across the table he had claimed. His curls were a mess again, he had a habit of running his hands through it when focusing on a passage, and his lips moved silently as he read fervently. It reminded her of home, of the towering shelves of heaven’s library where she would find him perched and engulfed in one of his books.

She shook herself out of memories and rushed over to him, ignoring the dirty looks from the librarian. 

When she made her way over Ez looked up at her with bright eyes. 

“It’s time to kick some murderous ass.” She said, and they both grinned. 

____

 

The man Mariel had interrogated knew a little more about Cain than he had let on at first, and after obtaining the information in the detective’s file, she also was told about a cabin he had in Montana where he was planning on retreating to for a while for research into a case of his. The officer was meant to bring the case evidence on the most recent disappearance of Antony to this cabin in a couple days. 

Mariel assured him that she could take the package to him, no problem. 

Ezequiel flew them to a nearby town, landing in the woods a few feet from the main road leading into the cluster of buildings. Mariel went into town, Ezequiel in tow, and asked around until she found a lovely old woman who seemed to know about a nearby cabin. 

“Do you know the owner dear? A strong young fellow with just the bluest eyes?” The elderly lady cooed. Mariel smiled. 

“Ah yes, we go way back. Now tell me, did he pass through town yet?” Mariel put on her most dazzling smile. The woman smiled back. 

“Why yes! He passed through just about an hour ago, dear.”

___

The plan was to have Mariel confront Cain, and have Ez hang back deeper in the woods to keep Cain from learning about him. 

Mariel strode across the dried crackling leaves and hopped up the wooden steps of the cabin porch. She briskly knocked at the door. Some murmurings followed from inside of the cabin, then she heard footsteps approach. 

The door softly creaked as it inched open to reveal a very pissed Cain. 

“Hello,” Mariel said, then she punched him in the nose.

It was satisfying to feel his bones crack beneath her fist. He stumbled back and she followed, throwing him against the nearest wall and pushing her forearm into his throat, successfully crushing his windpipe. He gagged. 

“You have one minute to give me the book before I rip you apart molecule by molecule and scatter your remains into a million suns,” Mariel growled, then she released him. He coughed and rubbed his neck. 

“What book?” He asked innocently as if the man was even capable of being innocent. Blood streamed down steadily from his nose, dripping onto his shirt. He didn’t seem to care in the slightest. 

Mariel hated him. Hated him more than anything. She tried to ignore the burning and glared. Cain just grinned. 

She then noticed the cabin’s back door. A door that was currently ajar, and letting in a lovely breeze from the woods. Cain locked eyes with her, and she threw him against the wall again. Was it necessary? No. Was it fun? Absolutely. 

She sprinted out the door stopped. She could faintly hear a commotion to the left of her, so she took off running in that direction. Cain wasn’t far behind, cursing and stumbling. Suddenly, there were no woods around her. There was a thin patch of clear grass extending from left to right, distinct tire tracks scarring the grass and tangled weeds. 

Mariel could see two men sprinting down the path, disappearing around a corner, so she followed. Cain was no longer following her, but she paid no mind to him as she was gaining on them quickly, as they seemed to not stray from the path. One appeared to be clutching something to his chest as he ran, which was the book she presumed. 

The path took another turn, and suddenly one side dropped off to reveal a gorgeous lake a hundred feet below. No time to admire the sunset. 

She was so close now, only a few more paces… Cain burst out from the forest and she collided with him. In the few seconds, she had to react, Mariel had tried to arrange herself to slam him into the ground and continue the pursuit, however, Cain wrapped his arms around her waist and she was pulled off balance. 

They topple to the ground together, and for a split second Mariel remembered how things used to be between them. Now, she just pulled from his grasp and kneed him in the groin. He barked in pain and she shot up. She had lost ground. 

It would be easy to draw her bow and shoot the leg of the man with the book, but Mariel hesitated. She didn’t want to risk giving the mortals another shred of divinity, and they were slowing down anyway. 

The two decided to stand their ground at a wider clearing further up, the bigger one nearly collapsing, while the one with the book dropped to the ground and furiously flipped through its pages. She stopped, standing between them and the drop-off, with Cain steadily approaching from her right. 

“Don’t look in her eyes!” He yelled at his comrades. She shot him an unamused look, then sweetly looked back at the pair. 

“Now, don’t listen to him,” Mariel said, winking at the larger man when he peeked up from the ground. The man with the book had seemingly found the page he was looking for and was staring at it as if he expected it to spit out a list of instructions on how to get out of this mess. Movement at the edge of the clearing caught her eye, and she saw that Ezequiel had apparently followed them here. She shot him a warning glance. Stay put. 

“Now, “ She said, returning attention to the larger man, who was wiping a hand down his grimy face with a rag from his pocket. She caught his beady eyes in her own. The gum he was chewing fell from his lips. 

“You can trust me.” Mariel soothed he nodded. Cain reached the clearing and cursed. “Give me back the book, ok?” Cain swung at her with an angry yell. 

She ducked and jabbed him in the ribs. He brought both hands down on her upper back, and pain shot through her whole body. She almost collapsed but instead rolled out of the way. Mariel popped back up and glared at him. She should have never trusted the killer. 

He just shot back a winning smile and launched another punch. She blocked kicked him in the ribs so hard he must’ve broken a rib. 

While the angle and murderer fought the larger gum-chewing man had begun to wrestle the other man for the book. 

“Run with it Jon,” Cain yelled from where Mariel pressed his face into the dirt. “I’ll take care of her.” She almost laughed. 

“You’re in no position to be giving orders, Cain,” Mariel said, pushing him down harder. He then managed to throw her off of him. They both stood and prepared to face off again. 

“Why do you want the book so bad, Mari?” Cain sneered and Mariel hated him more in that instance. “Is there something in there you don’t want me to know about?” 

She charged at him. Cain laughed and blocked her hit. The two fought with a practiced flow, almost dancing with hits and jumps and kicks. Mariel landed more hits than Cain, but Cain knew where to hurt her. He jabbed at her upper back and she cried out in pain. 

The angrier she got the more reckless and weak she was. Years of hatred and the sting of betrayal from this man made her burn.

They got closer to the edge, but she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. Michael would not approve. She was completely focused on pummeling Cain. Blood oozed from his nose and his mouth, as well as some other cuts on his face, acquired throughout the fight. 

Cain was gasping for breath, and Mariel took a few steps back with the intention of sprinting after Jon. She didn’t notice Cain regaining his bearings and walking towards her. 

He grabbed her and threw her backward. The move caught Mariel by surprise and she stumbled. Her heel slipped from the edge of the cliff, and suddenly Mariel was falling. Instinct took over, and Mariel summoned her wings. 

Gorgeous golden wings spread behind her, feathers gleaming with the last rays of light from the setting sun. For one glorious second Mariel was suspended in the air, and Cain gawked at her. 

Then the fire appeared. 

From the base of her wings, flames began to ripple across the soft down. Soon all the feathers were ablaze, and Mariel began to fall. Mariel fought between the want to pull her wings close to her, perhaps escaping the eternal flame, and extending her wings to prevent the fall. 

The wind spun around her and caressed the flame, making the sting worse as Mariel spiraled downward. Her fingernails dug into her palms, and her teeth were grit. Her eyes were squeezed shut, when had she closed her eyes? All she was aware of was the pain. When would sweet, sweet unconsciousness bless her?

She hit a hard surface, then was swallowed into the dark cold. The water did not quench the flame, which raged on stronger than before. Mariel gasped, and her lungs filled with the cold liquid. She tried to cough, but only water surrounded her. Mariel sunk deeper into the inky black, illuminated only by the glow of the fire. 

Her knees make contact with a grainy slimy surface. Mariel drifts to curl up on the lake floor, fingers digging into its soft mud. Forcing her eyes for a second proved nothing, only darkness surrounded her. She squeezed her eyes closed again to focus on the pain. 

The water around her was warming rapidly, almost reaching comfortable temperatures. Her lungs felt like a freezing rock, even when she sucked warmer water past her lips. Mariel began to black out, unable to do anything but writhe on the lake floor in pain. 

The water surrounding her began to spin with a new movement. Hands grabbed her shoulders and Mariel was hauled upward. Mariel was faintly aware that she was now being pulled upward, as the soft mud was no longer beneath her. 

They broke the surface, Mariel tried to open her eyes. It was a battle she was loosing. Water leaked from her mouth and nose and her head lolled back onto the shoulder of her rescuer. The water around her was disturbed once more by movement and they began moving toward the shore. 

The burning was reaching unbearable levels. She was too weak to cry out in pain from the torture of it. Just as her feet were beginning to drag across the rocks near the shore, Mariel blacked out. 

___

“Mari?” Ezequiel muttered to himself, surveying his unconscious sister. She wasn't going to wake up so soon, he knew that. The quiet was just so unnerving. Darkness had fallen, so the only light he could see by was the moonlight and the stars. The water’s calm surface reflected the moon and the velvet sky perfectly, but Ezequiel could only stare at his sister's wings. 

They weren’t burning. 

Under normal circumstances, that would be a good thing. As far as he knew, though, they were always burning. They had been earlier, and when he pulled her from the water, but just as she passed out the fire was extinguished. What?

Her glamour had dropped, making her look like a peaceful sleeping, expensive, statue. He didn’t know what to do now. Where could he take her? Not anywhere near humans, not home(she would kill him). Ezequiel elected to stay by the water, waiting for her to wake up. 

It must have been nearly an hour now, and still nothing. His own wings were laid out behind him, feathers ruffled and unpleasantly damp from his little swim earlier. The cool night air was helping to dry them, but the down feathers were still clinging to water. 

He had no idea why her wings would only burn when she was awake. As far as he knew, the eternal flame they were constantly bathed in was, like its name suggested, eternal. It wasn’t the ‘eternal as long as you’re awake’ flame. 

This is a disaster. His plan was not meant to end with Mari knocked out and his book suffering water damage. The precious book that had started this fiasco was open and drying next to him. He could restore it at home later. 

She was supposed to see the book with all her siblings in it and get homesick, not tumble into a lake due to an unfortunate case of flaming wings! Ezequiel sighed and turned one of the sopping wet pages in the book. Gabriel’s grin and mischievous eyes stared back at him. 

Maybe Ezequiel and Raguel should have gotten him to help. Gabriel was far better at scheming than them. He would have agreed with their cause too: getting Mariel home before she ran into... Him.. in Los Angeles. 

Ezequiel sighed again and flipped the page again to look at Mari. The Guardian of the Angels. She was overworking herself, she always had been, but at least at home, she was only responsible for the 18 of them, and not 8.5 Billion mortals. Even with cherubs helping her, Mariel’s task was too stressful. 

Mari began to stir. Ezequiel perked up. 

“Good morning!” He chirped at her. She sat up groggily, and her wings vanished. 

“What-” Mari began, but she stopped herself, pressing a hand to her forehead and groaning. 

“I got the book back!” Ezequiel said, gesturing to the soaking bound paper next to him. Mariel regarded him, then her gaze landed on the book. 

“Oh,” She said, scooting closer and pulling the book onto her lap for further inspection. She flipped through the pages. “It’s this book.” She stopped on the page dedicated to Azrael and stroked the page with a finger. 

“Yeah.” He said awkwardly, she looked at him strangely.

“Why was this book entrusted to a mortal?” She asked slowly. Par of him began to panic. 

“It really doesn’t matter.” He said too quickly. She gave him another strange look. “Anyways, maybe you should go check in with the infirmary?” He blurted out. Her eyes narrowed. Oh no. 

“I’m fine,” Mariel said in a flat voice, and flipped through the book more, smiling at the illustrations. It’s working! “There’s a page missing.” She said, stroking a finger down the ripped paper. His face heated up. 

“Right.” He said, staring at the book. Mariel was staring at him. Ezequiel had torn out the page with The Lightbringer on it eon’s ago. He hadn't destroyed it, the paper was safely tucked away in one of his many books. He just couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it. 

Uncomfortable silence stretched. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come home?” He asked, changing the subject. He was stepping into dangerous territory. 

“You know I’m busy here.” 

He had to convince her to come home. 

“Yeah, but I just thought if you saw the album that-” He cut himself off. Oh no. Ohh no. Suddenly there was a lump in his throat and his face was burning. He should not have said that. 

Her eyes narrowed. She had definitely noticed his slip up. 

“Did you-” She stopped talking and took a deep breath. He had screwed up. “Did you purposefully lose this book to get me to want to come home?” His heart stopped. 

“No,” He muttered, but she knew she had caught him red handed. 

“What about Antony?” She asked, exasperated. 

“He’s fine,” Ezequiel mumbled. Mariel stood. 

“If Father wanted me to return home-” Mariel began, but Ezequiel cut her off. 

“It wasn’t Father’s plan it - I - I can’t tell you.” She just stared at him. He desperately tried to think of a way to salvage the situation. “Look, something big is going down, and some of us thought it would be best if you were home…” He trailed off at her look. 

“I have a job to do here. I can;’ just drop everything and let innocent humans suffer just because something “Big,”” she used finger quotations “is happening. If Father wants me home, he can summon me himself.”

This. Is. A. Disaster. 

“Mari,” He started. She looked at him with raised eyebrows, clearly expecting an explanation. He spent a moment thinking. “Can you just promise me to not go to L.A.”

She seemed surprised at this odd request. 

“I can’t promise that.” She said simply. He deflated. “But,” she added, “I’ll try and avoid it as long as I’m not needed there for your, and Raguel’s, sake.” His eyes shot up and she winked. Of course, she would know his partner in crime. He smiled sheepishly. 

“Ok, avoid it at all costs?” She nodded. 

“Now, let’s get you dried off so you can fly home. 

He picked up his soaking parcel and pulled the Book of Angels close to his chest. It dripped, but he didn’t care. He could fix it later. 

Ezequiel glanced upwards at the stars and grimaced. He hoped she wasn’t needed in L.A for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeyyy... So... It's been a while! I don't really have an excuse, so here's a 6000 word chapter! Will yall accept the apology?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I am trying to improve my writing style by writing fanfics before I actually tackle something bigger. Please tell me of any typos you see! I’m a reallllyyyy bad speller :/  
> The next chapters will be longer i PROMISE!!! It’s just that I want to see how people react to this one before I invest more time into it. Please tell me what you think of it!!! <3


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